Pastries and Stalkers
by Pandagirl820
Summary: Instead of working at a shop of wishes, Watanuki is a waiter in a pastry shop. Instead of being plagued by vengeful spirits, he's being plagued by... stalkers? DouWata
1. Chapter 1

**Coffee Chapter 1**

**This one came to me pretty late at night, but… hope you enjoy!**

**CHAPTER ONE, START!**

Was it safe to say that Watanuki Kimihiro hated his life? Was it _really _safe to say, considering that, if he _had _said it aloud, it was possible that at least _one _of his stalkers would be listening?

Well, hopefully not.

Kimihiro sighed, rolling his shoulders, walking lazily into the small coffee and pastry shop he worked at, _Strawberry Wish, _ready to don his usual apron and serve his many customers.

And, by customers, he meant his many stalkers. Could he seriously not catch a break?

Anyway.

"Hey, Kimihiro!" called the bespectacled boy's best friend, Syaoran. The two were like brothers, sharing nearly the same traumatic experiences through life: both of their parents had died at nearly the same time, and, though Syaoran now stayed with his new foster parents, the two stayed close.

Of course, Watanuki preferred to live alone, no matter how many invitations he was offered to live in the Flowright-Kurogane home with Syaoran. Without his parents, living with others just… didn't feel right. Besides, he could take care of himself pretty well, considering he was a genius in the kitchen, and housework was a breeze for him.

Which was why he taught Sakura, the part-time baker girl, how to cook—of course, baking seemed to catch better with her, and that led to her aforementioned job as a part-time baker.

The girl previously mentioned waved a cheerful 'hello' in Kimihiro's direction from behind her serving window, before disappearing in a puff of flour-induced smoke.

Well, maybe the bespectacled boy didn't hate his life _that _much.

But then, a man with square glasses and slick black hair, dressed in a rather opulent suit came in, and the waiter had to reconsider his last thoughts; of course, his main stalker (AKA, regular in the shop that just _happened _to follow him home every night) had just walked in the door.

Seriously. Did he just _attract_ stalkers? Was it the smell of his blood or something?

As he worked around the shop, wiping tables and cleaning the floors while Syaoran served the man, he could _feel _the eyes of the man following him. It gave him the creeps.

"Kimihiro!" Sakura called from behind her serving window, "the store owner wants to talk to you."

…Did Watanuki already mention that he hated his life?

Trudging up the stairs to the inevitably inebriated store owner, Kimihiro wondered why he kept his stupid job at the coffee shop and didn't just look for a new one somewhere else.

"Because you feel safe here; not to mention the fact that it pays the bills," a sultry feminine voice answered, giving Watanuki the shivers. He just _hated _how the woman could read his mind like that.

"Miss Yuuko," Kimihiro answered. "You wanted to see me?"

"Yes," the woman answered, he silky hair cascading down onto her cozy couch, "I did." And then she smiled in that creepy way Kimihiro hated seeing, because he _knew_ that smile lead to: a) Some creepy mission; b) An incredibly late night at the shop; c) Errands to buy heavy bags of flour; or, d) All of the above.

"It seems," the owner of the shop took a deep breath from her pipe, before finishing with wisps of smoke, "that your problems will soon be coming to an abrupt, anticlimactic end."

"…You realize I have no idea what you're talking about, right?"

"Oh, just finish your shift. You take all the fun out of things," Yuuko Ichihara pouted.

Kimihiro Watanuki gladly booked it back to the first floor, ready to serve the next customer.

…**PAGE BREAK…**

"So, what would you like to eat?" Kimihiro asked the boy he was serving, noting that he wore the uniform of his own school.

The tall, narrow eyed boy stayed silent, only pointing to a spot on the menu.

"…You're gonna have to speak up, you know," the lankier school boy pointed out.

The other only pointed again at his menu, giving his waiter a look… as if the bespectacled boy was stupid or something. Kimihiro put his hands on his hips, feeling anger bubble in his chest. "Speak!" he shouted, throwing his arms up, "I can't serve you if you don't tell me what you want!"

Again, the narrow-eyed boy only pointed at his menu. "What? You want the whole thing?" Kimihiro sneered, getting angry.

The customer only raised his eyebrows in a judgmental way. Kimihiro, on the other hand, narrowed his eyes, getting _seriously _pissed.

"Okay, fine. You know what? YOU'RE GETTING TEA!" And with that, the waiter stomped off in a huff, getting worried looks from his fellow employees at the shop.

The man in the suit, with the slick black hair, only smiled in a knowing, predatory fashion.

Letting the teabag steep in the warm water, Kimihiro arched his back and rolled his shoulders, almost done with his shift. He could finally go _home!_ Too bad his stupid stalker would be following him, _again._ Ugh.

It was then that the strange bespectacled man actually _left _the shop; before even Watanuki did! Maybe he had somewhere to go, but the waiter didn't care, he had a free, safe ride home!

…Maybe he didn't hate life that much after all, he thought.

Scratch that. He wouldn't hate his life _that much_ once his stupid silent customer left. Those narrow eyes, and that 'I'm better than you' attitude just annoyed the _hell _out of him…

Kimihiro realized he was talking to himself once he heard Syaoran's stifled snigger. "Oh, shut up, _you_," the black-haired waiter huffed, pouting.

Bringing the tea back to his annoying customer's table, he set the cup down with an obviously fake smile. "Here."

And the _stupid, _narrow-eyed boy only nodded—not even a 'thank you!' Ooh, he did _not _like him, at _all._

Well, at least his shift was over.

Going to the back room and pulling off his apron and uniform, a getup that looked like something akin to a butler uniform, the bespectacled boy sighed with relief, finally getting a nice, safe way home.

"Do you want Sakura and me to escort you home?" Syaoran offered, looking worried, changing into his regular clothes.

"Nah, you guys head on home—besides, tonight I'm _free_! Mr. Suit Stalker decided to leave me _alone_!" the black-haired waiter sighed in glee.

"Alright…" Syaoran conceded, eyeing the other warily, "but, call me if anything happens! Kurogane and I will be there in a flash."

"Thanks; I will," Watanuki smiled, lifting his fist. "Brothers in feeling, if not by blood, right?"

"Always," Syaoran nodded, lifting his own closed fist. The two touched the outsides of their wrists together, both with knowing smiles on their faces. It was as of they shared souls…

"Syaoran-kun! Would you help me restock some of these pastries?" Sakura called from another room.

"O-of course, princess!" The brown-eyed waiter yelled back, his face beet red.

"I thought I told you not to call me that!" huffed the adorable Sakura.

_Ah, young love_, Watanuki thought, before he shoved open the heavy back door, and strolled out into the chilly night air.

Walking down the street, a few blocks away from the shop, Kimihiro arched his back and sighed contentedly. His shift was over, he was miraculously done with his homework, and best of all, no stalkers! The blue-eyed boy felt so free!

And suddenly, his view of the night sky was lost and the air in his lungs swiftly left him as he was tackled to the ground. He paled as he recognized the pinstripe print fabric that was so close to his eyes. So leaving the shop early was a part of his plan… Bastard.

"K-Kimihiro," breathed an all too familiar voice. Square glasses and slick black hair came into his view as his attacker lifted himself off above the waiter, pinning him to the ground. "How long I've wanted this…"

_Oh no. _Watanuki couldn't see how he'd get out of this one. "G-get off of me!" he pushed his stalker's chest with all his might, but the man wouldn't budge. He shivered with fear when he felt something hard against his thigh. "S-Stop it! Stop it!" his voice was shrill with anxiety and fear.

He shivered with disgust this time, as the stranger began to breathe… words, into his ear.

"Get off! Please, just… stop!" Watanuki Kimihiro was reduced to begging, feeling nauseous. He heard something unzip, and went even paler, his breathing quickening with fear.

"No, no, NO! Get OFF—" And, right as the slight boy was about to resume pushing his stalker away with renewed vigor, the attacker was… gone? His weight wasn't there, and, after opening his eyes (he hadn't realized he'd closed them) he looked up to see…

That stupid, annoying customer, beating the crap out of the assaulter.

For once in his life, Kimihiro felt… genuinely relieved. He sighed, and tried to stand. Apparently though, his legs refused to work, only wobbling slightly when he tried to move them, so he sat back down and watched the one-sided fight, his jaw hanging open in an amazed 'O'.

As the creeper crawled away on his hands and knees, the narrow eyed customer from before turned back to Watanuki and loomed, glaring evilly, in Kimihiro's opinion.

Well, out of the frying pan and into the fire, they say.

"Are you alright?" asked the deep, emotionless voice of his savior.

"M-me?" Watanuki pointed to himself. The taller, standing boy nodded. "I… I think so," he muttered, trying to stand.

Thankfully, this time it worked, though his legs were trembling; along with the rest of his body. The taller boy noticed this and raised a disbelieving brow.

"Don't worry, this happens a _lot _more than you'd think," Kimihiro smiled, giving a shaky, half-hearted laugh.

Then he remembered he hated this guy.

Clearing his throat, he nodded towards the taller in a way the other had done to him at the pastry shop, and muttered, "My name is Watanuki. Watanuki Kimihiro." _Give him a name to worship, _he smirked smugly to himself, beginning to walk away, back to his apartment.

"Doumeki Shizuka. Nice to meet you."

Watanuki only waved, not even turning his back to his savior, how exhausted and tired he was. He didn't even have enough energy to rant at the jerk, for being… a jerk.

Anyway, he had school tomorrow.

**There we are! Finished with chapter 1! I hope the idea isn't too unoriginal! …That would suck. **


	2. Chapter 2

**Coffee Chapter 2**

**I don't own it; obviously. **

**CHAPTER START!**

Shizuka Doumeki was, for once in his life, _curious_. All he really did was take a recommendation for this shop, _Strawberry Wishes_, from his (ish)friend Kunogi, and he found himself… interested in something, for once in his life.

It was a guy.

Huh. Doumeki never knew he was into that kinda stuff.

Anyway. A **flashback** would clear up his confusion:

He was only going to have a piece of this cake stuff the girl told him to try, when he had to deal with the most annoying. Waiter. Ever.

The guy was loud. He threw his hands up and demanded something of his _customer. _Didn't this guy learn that the customer was always right? Not that he really listened to the guy anyway.

But he _was_ pretty cute… Wait, where did _that _come from? Oh well. He watched his annoying waiter stomp off and get some tea, and he found that this random guy with glasses was watching him. Constantly.

Huh. He wondered vaguely if the kid that was serving him noticed that. Probably not, considering that he didn't realize that his hands waved in all these random directions whenever he opened his mouth.

Maybe he was born with some weird disease… well, there _were_ oddities everywhere. Even after getting tea splashed on him thanks to the loud and annoying waiter, Doumeki noticed that the guy was _still _watching the kid.

And something about the way the guy in the suit watched his loud waiter made him worry… it was like he thought the kid was food or something. Wondering what made the businessman stare at his waiter so much, the archer decided to just go ahead and stare too… wouldn't make much of a difference, would it?

Well. The kid was attractive. Girly attractive. Huh. Well, the suit-and-glasses guy left the bakery, and, considering that it was pretty late, Shizuka decided to head on home too. And, hey, he was going in the same direction as the business man; what a coincidence*.

When the grown man slipped and hid behind a wall, Doumeki shrugged and let it go—what harm could come, right?

Once the teen made it about half a block away, though, he heard a scream. "G-Get off of me!" the shrill voice shrieked.

It took about half a second for Shizuka's brain to process what was going on. When he heard the: "S-Stop it! Stop it!" his brain briefly decided what would be the best course of action… he took the obvious and bolted down the street, back to that shop with the loud waiter and found…

The aforementioned waiter about to get raped. Shizuka Doumeki did what any Doumeki would do when he saw a damsel (well, close) in distress: beat the crap out of the 'dragon.'

Several swipes of his book bag later, the creep in the suit was crawling away from the scene of the crime, most likely planning on caring for those ribs Shizuka just _knew _he broke. Served him right, though, he thought, looking over at the adorable creature that was still sitting still, shaking so hard the archer was surprised his glasses didn't fall off.

All in all, he looked like a small, scared animal.

"Are you alright?" Shizuka asked in the most worried voice he could muster. (He just wasn't good at conveying his feelings.)

"M-Me?" the (now surprisingly quiet) waiter asked, pointing a small, shaky finger to himself. God, he was… cute. Doumeki just nodded. "I… I think so…" the small, lanky boy whispered, attempting to stand.

His legs were _way _too wobbly for their own good. Heck, his whole body was trembling.

Doumeki wondered if he should have gotten the kid a blanket or something; he was obviously lying about being alright.

"Don't worry, this happens a _lot _more than you'd think," the lanky boy smiled weakly, giving a tiny, pained laugh. The kid probably wouldn't make it home.

Wait, _what _did he say? Happens a _lot_? How can nearly getting raped happen a _lot?_ Doumeki was forced out of his thoughts when he saw the thin, bespectacled boy walking shakily away.

"My name is Watanuki. Watanuki Kimihiro," he said in a rather petulant manner, still wobbling away.

Well. He introduced himself… without even a 'thank you.' Thanking probably just wasn't in the kid's nature, Doumeki shrugged to himself.

Ah. He forgot to tell his name; wouldn't want to be rude. "Doumeki Shizuka. Nice to meet you." And it _was _actually nice to meet this mysterious new character called 'Watanuki,' Doumeki thought, while the other walked slowly away, giving only a weak wave goodbye.

…Wait a second. 'Watanuki Kimihiro.' Why was that name familiar?

**End Flashback. **

And so, Doumeki was at lunch with his usual bunch of friends, as they (mainly the others) talked about sports, girls, videogames, girls, that new phone that came out, girls… it all went in an endless circle.

Well, the name sounded familiar, so it couldn't hurt to ask his friends. "Hey, have you heard of Watanuki Kimihiro?"

The conversation slid to a halt. "Okay," one of his soccer friends said, "I know you have a _lot _of questions. It's normal when it comes to Watanuki. We just want you to know that just because you find him appealing, it does _not _mean you're gay."

…What?

"Don't worry," Rikuo, one of Doumeki's closest (and the most obviously gay) friends said, "the kid attracts anything with a pulse."

"Heck," Atsushi muttered, "_I'd_ tap that. And I'm straight."

…Huh?

"So, basically, what we're saying," Hisao, a brunette with a serious love of the other gender, said, "you have nothing to worry about. You don't even have to start questioning your sexuality. Any other guy, yes, you might be gay; but, Watanuki? Everyone ends up falling for him at one point or another."

…Uh? Huh? _What?_

"I was just going to ask whether you heard of him or not." Doumeki deadpanned.

"Oh. Well… uh, yeah. We've heard of him." Atsushi snorted.

"Hey, there he is!" Hisao pointed outside, towards the PE field, and, lo and behold, the lanky waiter was there, attempting to finish a race.

To Shizuka's surprise, the delicate-looking boy actually finished _first_.

Huh. So he was faster than he looked, the archer thought, as he watched the loud boy shout in victory. It was then that the teacher for that class lumbered up to the small, blue-eyed boy.

The coach leaned in close to the smaller boy, and Doumeki narrowed his eyes in suspicion as his hands went places they shouldn't have been. Watanuki tensed and quickly shrugged the teacher away, rubbing his arms as if he was cold.

It was warm out.

So that's what he meant by '_this happens a lot more than you'd think_.'

**PAGE BREAK!**

The rest of the day passed by Shizuka, considering that his thoughts were on his loud waiter; that a kid could have had near rape experiences? More than _one_? Or, for that matter, enough to not even surprise him when one comes up?

Did he wear some weird perfume, or something?

And, soon enough, the school day was over.

Huh. It was nearly the end of the semester; soon, the archer would be getting his new class schedule.

While all the other students filed out of the room, Shizuka Doumeki watched his favorite view, the outside from the second floor window.

It was then that he saw two kids in the uniforms of the CLAMP academy.

…Wasn't that some sort of prestigious school, or something? Oh well, it wasn't like it was his job to care or anything… but, when he noticed Kimihiro Watanuki bound up to the boy and girl as if they were old friends, he was suddenly interested.

The three talked together for a bit, before the black-haired boy seemed to get angry and storm off, something that Doumeki was beginning to expect.

The brown haired boy from CLAMP soon caught up to him, grabbing his shoulder and pulling the other back.

It was then that Kimihiro Watanuki grabbed the boy's shoulders, and… kissed him?

Doumeki nearly fell off of his desk, he was so surprised.

…So the other boy was interested in _that _sort of stuff? Somehow, it didn't gross the archer out

… In fact, it only made him more curious and absorbed into this 'Kimihiro Watanuki' character.

_Huh_, Shizuka thought to himself, standing up and walking out of the classroom, going wherever his feet led him.

…Which was, apparently, that _Strawberry Wishes _shop.

Well, he was there—it wouldn't hurt to get a bite to eat.

**Phew! Finished! And, I've already started the third chapter, so I'll get that one out soon, too!**

…**Also, I think I used the word 'huh' WAY too many times in this chapter… but oh well, it's something very Doumeki-ish … right?**

**Well, anyway, I hope you enjoyed!**

***WWYS? What Would Yuuko Say?**


	3. Chapter 3

**Coffee Chapter 3**

**I still don't own XxxHolic… what a surprise! xD**

**CHAPTER START!**

Watanuki's day was crap. His coach tried to feel him up for the umpteenth time that _week, _and he was glad to go back to the surprisingly safe haven that he called his work.

Well, it was safer than being at home, where people watched him sleep.

Shuddering at the thought, Kimihiro almost passed the school gates without noticing his friends Syaoran and Sakura, clad in their foreign school uniforms.

"Kimihiro! KIMIHIRO! Jeez, what's with you today?" Syaoran asked in concern.

"Is there something wrong?" Sakura asked, an empathetic look in her big, green eyes.

"No," the bespectacled boy sighed, adjusting his glasses, "just the usual."

"The 'usual' usually means that something's wrong," Syaoran pointed out.

Kimihiro only sighed in resignation, before asking, "Hey, where are Kurogane and Fai? They usually come straight to the school with you two."

"Ah, they're already at the shop, serving customers," Sakura gladly explained.

How the top ER doctor in the country and a world-renowned kendo instructor had the time to both complete their jobs and have the time to work in a pastry shop was unknown to Kimihiro.

"Well, let's get there already; we don't want them to wait," Watanuki said, beginning his trek towards the shop.

"Hey, don't try to avoid what we were talking about!" Syaoran quickly caught up to the bespectacled boy, giving him a smack on the shoulder. Kimihiro, in turn, faced the other brunette and looked him squarely in the eyes.

"Nothing. Is. Wrong," the inky-haired student said, grasping the brown-haired one by the shoulders and giving him a light head-butt. "'Kay?"

"Fine," Syaoran pulled back, sighing, his face still worried. "But if something happens, tell us!" he said, pulling the catching up Sakura into his arm and giving him a serious look. The girl of the group only went beet red in the face, staying silent.

_Three, _Watanuki counted in his head, _two…_

"Oh my goodness, princess, I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have—" Kimihiro kept walking the rest of the way to _Strawberry Wishes_, blocking out the others' conversation and giving the two their privacy.

Sometimes though, he still wished that he could look back and see his _actual_ parents instead of the kind, wonderful friends that were their look-alikes...

"Welcome!" called a lanky blonde man from behind the serving window, while a muscular waiter wiped off tables, giving the group a nod.

"Hey. Any new costumers come?" Syaoran asked his foster parents.

"Nope," Kurogane answered, "but I think they'll be here fairly soon. You guys should go get changed."

And so the three walked to the back of the store, where, after separating and changing, they went to their respective work stations: Sakura to the kitchen, and Syaoran and Kimihiro to the tables, mopping and sweeping, preparing for customers.

It was then that _he _had to walk in the door. _He _just had to come in and make Kimihiro's day even worse. "Exactly what are _you _doing here, _Doumeki?_" Watanuki spat, glaring. He just really didn't like that guy.

The archer only raised a brow, not seeming remotely surprised. "Is that how you welcome your customers?"

"Well, I—you!" Kimihiro yelled, flailing his arms, dropping his mop in the process. Syaoran gave him a thoroughly confused look.

"Strawberry cake," Shizuka said, not even bothering to look at the menu; how rude of him!

"Is there anything else you want, _sir?_" The black-haired waiter hissed, nearly crumpling his notepad.

"Tea."

The notepad was crushed with a depressing crunch.

As the annoying-as-ever Doumeki was inhaling his cake, Watanuki sulked in the kitchen, much to the other employees' amusement. It was then that the bell that was attached to the shop's front door rang for the second time, and as Watanuki glanced out of the service window, he realized that his day had suddenly brightened.

"Himawari-chan!" Kimihiro grinned, jumping around and nearly breaking delicate tableware his arms flapped so uncontrollably. The love of his life had entered the pastry shop! "What would you like today?" he asked, pen poised on his injured note pad, all of his attention focused on the girl in front of him.

"Hmm… I'd like that new special! It looks delicious," she smiled, before she glanced away at… Doumeki? _Oh no. _Something in Kimihiro's stomach told him that today would end _worse _than usual.

"Doumeki-kun! How are you?" Kunogi waved at the tall, stoic boy, much to the lankier waiter's disappointment. He decided to slink quietly away, and return later with ammo—the new chocolate-hazelnut cake that was selling like hotcakes.

Unfortunately, Watanuki had the great luck to trip on thin air. "Whoa!" called the voice that caught him mid-fall. "Are you okay, Kimihiro?" Syaoran asked, steadying his friend.

"Hm? Oh, yeah, I'm okay… just need to get some of that new cake! Then I'll be able to get her back…" muttered the boy evilly to himself, not noticing that Syaoran's hand was still on the small of his back (In a completely brotherly way.). The black haired waiter also failed to notice the cold stare of his supposed rival, who seemed to be pouting.

"Doumeki-kun? Are you in there?" Watanuki heard the lovely Himawari-chan ask. Wow, he _really _hated the guy now. He hurried back into the kitchen to fetch a slice of the newest cake.

Considering his lovely Himawari-chan, he carefully placed the largest slice from the fresh, warm cake on the bone-white plate he was carrying. For his beautiful Himawari-chan, everything _had _to be perfect! He imagined the angelic smile on Himawari's face as she thanked him, and his spirits were lifted past the ceiling!

Back out in the front room, however, his spirits quickly crashed from the ceiling and onto his head. She, Himawari-chan, his beautiful angel of light and innocence was sitting… chatting with…_him. _And he _dared _to have a bored expression on his face!

Shizuka Doumeki was a dead man.

Kimihiro approached the table with a smile on his face, _specially _reserved for his adorable crush. He set down the plate with his signature grin, before he whipped around and turned to his rival with a scathing glare. "Is there anything else _you _want?"

Doumeki shook his head, the same expressionless expression on his face. What _was_ this guy, a robot? "I'd like some of the cake she's having."

"Oh! Doumeki-kun, you can have some of mine. I think my slice was a little too big for me to eat anyway," Himawari sighed, pushing her plate over to the tall boy. Watanuki felt like slithering into a hole right then and there.

So, he went back to the kitchen, not noticing a sniggering Syaoran and Kurogane following him in his miserable wake.

"It's alright Kimihiro, we'll try again next time," Sakura cheered, trying to comfort the dejected Watanuki.

"Aww, first loves are always hard, Kimi!" Fai, as usual, smiled.

"Yeah… it's… uh," Kurogane cleared his throat in an obvious attempt to stifle his laughter, "you'll be fine." And with that, the black-haired man was back in the front room, serving new customers.

Syaoran just stood far away from the group, covering his face. His shoulders were visibly shaking with laughter. Kimihiro Watanuki narrowed his eyes dangerously.

**PAGE BREAK**

Finally, after Himawari left the premises, and Doumeki was still only half finished with his cake, Watanuki decided to slip back into the main room.

Kimihiro was serving other customers, who seemed to be arguing about something,

("See, Light-kun? I told you that this cake was delicious," A pale man with unruly black hair and who sat hunched in his chair told the brunette man across from him, who was looking away with his arms crossed, pouting.)

When Yuuko, the owner of the very shop he worked in, stepped gracefully down the stairs from the second floor.

Yuuko actually _taking care _of the shop? Kimihiro used his large serving platter to shield himself from the sky that would inevitably fall, getting strange looks from his customers.

The busty woman made a beeline, clad in only her loose Kimono, towards the tall Shizuka Doumeki, who only raised an eyebrow and continued to eat his cake.

The woman slammed her hand down on the table, resting the other on her hip. Glass rattled and Shizuka's cake wobbled a little, before white frosting fell off the side.

Kimihiro had a _bad _feeling about this one.

"You," Yuuko drawled, quite obviously inebriated, "how would you like a job here?"

_No. NO. NO! _Watanuki Kimihiro would _not _let that happen. He slammed his own hand down on the table, mirroring Yuuko's stance, and gave Doumeki, his evil, spiteful rival that would laugh if Watanuki got hit by a car, the fiercest glare he could muster. "No."

Doumeki only raised an eyebrow at the two. Yuuko then slipped a folded piece of paper into his hands, smiling in that sweet, Come-child-let-me-give-you-spiked-candy sort of way she did.

Shizuka unfolded the letter, and gave a quick, confused glance at Kimihiro, before giving Yuuko a curious look. "Really?" he asked, as if he didn't believe whatever was on the parchment. Yuuko gave him a slow, mischievous nod.

Kimihiro's bad feeling got worse.

Besides, what _was_ on that paper, anyway? And why did Doumeki give him that look?

"Then I'll take the job," Doumeki said, facing towards Yuuko, though his eyed were trained on Watanuki.

Even the kitchen didn't feel safe anymore.

**Phew! Another chapter down! I hope you enjoyed it! And, no, Watanuki did NOT kiss Syaoran, they just had this brotherly head-bump kind of thing. They've known each other since childhood, so I figured that being close was kind of normal for them… Yeah. **


	4. Chapter 4

**Coffee Chapter 4**

**Thanks to all my reviewers; you guys are so awesome! :3 **

**I don't own xXxHOLiC… well, yeah. That's why I'm on ! :D**

**CHAPTER START!**

Yeah, Shizuka went inside to get himself some cake, and, lo and behold, Kimihiro Watanuki was there.

…Not much else to it: the kid spluttered and flailed his arms. He acted pretty much as he would normally.

Then, Kunogi, came in, and all hell broke loose: Kimihiro was actually being nice. Not just nice, _nice_. As in the 'sparkly fairy' kind of nice. To top it off, it was only towards the curly haired girl.

Well, at least one mystery was solved… leading to another: if the lanky waiter _was_ straight, what would possess him to kiss the other…

It was then that Doumeki Shizuka saw the amber hair of the boy from CLAMP…Huh. Another mystery.

"Doumeki-kun? How are you?" Kunogi, from a couple tables away, asked. Ah, so she'd noticed him.

"I'm okay," Shizuka answered curtly, before the curly-haired girl stood up from her own table and strode over to his. He watched as the small black-haired waiter walked toward the kitchen, looking dejected and angry. Huh.

It was then that he watched the scrawny teen trip and nearly fall to the floor. Shizuka stood from his seat, ready to help the boy up, when he noticed that the brown-haired guy from before was already at the scene, saving the other from falling entirely.

The archer's eyes, for reasons he couldn't explain, narrowed. His eyebrows, as if acting of their own accord, furrowed deeply when the lanky waiter was steadied by the other. He didn't realize he was pouting when he watched as the now annoying brown-haired boy _keep _his hand on the other boy's back. Something about it just didn't seem _right._

Doumeki turned back to Himawari to find that… she was smiling… with an evil glint in her eye. Shizuka unconsciously pressed his back further into his chair, further away from the girl he knew was secretly an avid yaoi fan… How he knew was a story that, to this day, even _he, _the stoic Shizuka Doumeki shuddered to think about.

"So who's the waiter?" Kunogi smiled, sparkling in a way that only Doumeki knew would mean disaster. To any other, she would have looked adorable and innocent; to Shizuka, she was a scheming witch.

"Weren't you just talking to him? You seem to know his name," Shizuka deadpanned.

"Well yes, _I _know him. He's my friend!" She glanced down at her intertwined hands, "but tell me, who is he to you?" The girl cocked her head and smiled in an innocent fashion.

Shizuka Doumeki, in all his great and wonderful power of being vague, answered, "he's a waiter."

Shizuka felt oddly satisfied as he saw that the curly-haired girl jutted her lip out in a pout.

Watanuki Kimihiro bounced back out of the kitchen before he took a good look at the table Shizuka was sitting at. Then, to the taller boy, it seemed that he started to sulk. Pulling himself back together, the waiter grinned at the smiling girl, before serving Shizuka with what looked like a harsh glare.

Shizuka got the feeling he wasn't liked too much. Especially when the slim boy seethed, "is there anything else _you _want?"

He'd like better customer service. Then he took a good look at the cake the other girl was eating daintily. "I'd like some of the cake she's having."

Then she gave some to him; that was nice of her, he thought, as he watched his waiter sulk himself back into his kitchen.

The cake was delicious.

"Aw, Watanuki's so cute!" Kunogi gushed. "He's so popular with the girls in my class… why they don't go up and talk to him, I'll never know."

Wow, was there Nutella in this cake? The filling was so creamy.

"He really does need more friends… but his beauty seems to be the kind that keeps people away from him," the girl sighed, looking sad.

Doumeki paused in his inhalation of his cake as realized that there wasn't much left. He'd have to order another one.

"Well, think about what I said," Kunogi said, standing up with a sad smile. "He really does need more friends."

…Wait, was she talking?

About half a second after Kunogi left, and a second after he'd finished his cake, a busty woman stepped gracefully down some staircase that led to God-knows-where. From there, she walked straight up to his table.

"You," the woman with stringy black hair began, slamming a white hand down on his table, "how would you like a job here?" He could smell alcohol on her breath.

And then, Watanuki was at the scene, slamming his own hand down on the table. Was he her son or something? The two almost looked similar… it _was_ possible. "No," the boy hissed at the woman.

It seemed the waiter was trying to convey some sort of coded message. It was then that the stranger slipped him a folded yellow piece of paper.

Picking it up, Doumeki noticed that the paper was thick and felt expensive. Ignoring the jab in his mind that shouted, _way to look at the little things! _He unfolded the paper to find, in fancy calligraphy,

_Not only will you be able to spend more time with your __**favorite**__ waiter, _

(An arrow was mysteriously pointing to the boy glaring down at him)

_But you can also be paid in his delicious homemade cooking. How about it?_

_PS. We will arrange your work hours to be flexible and bend to the schedule of your archery practice. _

How the woman knew that he took archery, Shizuka truthfully had no idea.

…But that wasn't the point. Besides, hadn't he heard from a friend that the waiter's cooking was supposed to be 'godly?' Not to mention that spending the extra time with the kid could help him unravel some of those secrets of his.

"I'll take the job," the archer said, deadpanning, watching for the reaction of his 'favorite waiter.'

…He fell to the floor. Doumeki couldn't hide the smile that started; the kid was just too amusing.

"Don't you smirk at me!" Watanuki yelled, before he picked himself up and, with an angry sniff, stomped back to his kitchen.

"Well, Yuuko, you're up so early!" called a tan man with black hair, who was leaning heavily on his broom. "And only, what, two bottles of sake down?" he asked with a smirk.

The stringy haired woman, apparently named 'Yuuko,' pouted at her waiter before an evil grin was set on her features. "Oh Watanuki~~!" she called, smirking evilly at the tan waiter, "You've got another mission set for you tomorrow ni~~ght!" the drunken woman yelled into the kitchen, throwing her hands up as if she was at a party.

A pitiful moan came from somewhere in the kitchen, while the new recruit sat at his table, wondering what was going on.

It seemed that Watanuki Kimihiro was like an interactive mystery novel.

In reaction to the news, the waiter, still holding his broom, stalked up to Yuuko with a worried look on his face. "Just don't let him get killed, 'kay? He's like a son to me."

The woman clad in only a loose red kimono looked up at the man, a serious glint in her red eyes. "Never."

…Killed? If Doumeki Shizuka was curious before, now he was absolutely hooked on the plot the lanky brunette had dragged him into.

Yuuko turned back to Shizuka, and with a mischievous smile, clasped her hands together and said, "well, welcome aboard! Work begins tomorrow, and," she began walking away, and spoke the next words over her shoulder, "you'll be staying late tomorrow night for some… extra pay. And, by the way," the woman was on the first step of the staircase she came from, and was ascending, "my name is Yuuko; Yuuko Ichihara. Good luck, Doumeki Shizuka-kun."

…When had he told her his name?

**PAGE BREAK!**

The next day at school, whenever Watanuki or Doumeki would be passing each other in the hallways, Shizuka found that he got scathing glares from the other boy.

Well. That wasn't much of a surprise, to be honest.

By the time PE came around, rumors spread that two classes would be competing against each other. Surprisingly, they were true… and guess who Doumeki had a soccer match against?

Well, it wasn't like he minded spending more time with Watanuki; the other boy, on the other hand, visibly arched his back and hissed like a cat.

One soccer match later, Watanuki Kimihiro was covered in grass stains and pouting dejectedly, while Shizuka Doumeki, his white shirt crisp and spotless, enjoyed congratulations from his classmates.

He got the feeling that him winning the soccer match wouldn't help him get into Kimihiro's good books. _Or into his pants,_ a mysterious voice in the back of his head giggled.

…It sounded mysteriously like the lady that Shizuka assumed owned the shop: Yuuko Ichihara.

Oh well. He had to get to his new part-time job, anyway. Leaving the school premises, Doumeki spotted the two CLAMP students standing by the school gates again, and, by the look of them, it seemed that they were looking for something.

"Ah!" the small brunette girl called, waving towards Shizuka. "You're our new employee, aren't you?" she said, running over to the archer, the annoying brown-haired boy in tow.

"I'm Sakura Kinomoto; I do most of the baking for _Strawberry Wish!_" the girl, Sakura, smiled, holding her hand out.

Doumeki shook it, saying, "Doumeki Shizuka. Nice to meet you."

"And I'm Syaoran Li, a waiter at _Strawberry Wish _and one of Kimihiro's friends; it's an honor," The brown haired CLAMP boy grinned, bowing. Shizuka nodded, his eyes narrowed. He didn't like the sound of that boy's name. And what gave him the right to call Watanuki by his first name?

"You guys!" a voice called, with the owner, Watanuki Kimihiro, waving his hands with a smile and running towards the group. It was then the boy's eyes fell on Shizuka and his feet skidded to a halt. "What are _you _doing here?" he glared, his shoulders hunched.

"I go to your school," Shizuka deadpanned, "and you still have a grass stain on your cheek." Doumeki reached over to wipe the stain off, when Kimihiro jumped a good five feet away, snarling at the archer.

"Shut up! I'll get it off myself," the bespectacled boy glared petulantly. Shizuka only shrugged, surprised at how quickly the boy jumped away.

"You two seem to know each other really well!" beamed Sakura, tilting her head. "Are you two close friends?"

Doumeki opened his mouth to answer, but Watanuki beat him to the punch with a haughty snort. "Of course not! This guy is my rival. _Rival_!" he waved his hand toward the taller boy with a smirk. Doumeki kept his face blank, but inwardly sighed. Why did his new mystery have to be so damned _annoying?_

The Li boy glanced between the two with a look of suspicion while Doumeki Shizuka noticed, and felt himself dislike the boy even more.

"Well," the worried look hadn't left the amber-haired boy's face, "let's get going, Sakura, Kimihiro, _Doumeki._" Shizuka's eyes narrowed at the harsh way the other said his name, as he followed ten paces behind the jolly group.

**PAGE BREAK**

Shizuka learned just about everything he needed to know to be a waiter: the wiping off of the tables, ("wax on, wax off; very simple, you see," Yuuko explained) the setting up for the day, the serving the customers, the cleaning up… there was more, but as he finally sat down on the floor and let the information settle in, he couldn't help but inwardly commend Watanuki for doing all the work he did.

As for meeting the staff, Yuuko explained to the archer that he'd already met most of the part-time workers that he'd be dealing with on a daily basis, and that the two from the other day came and worked at the pastry shop about once a month.

It turned out that the two were both financially successful, and the Li boy's foster parents.

…Interesting.

The day was nearly over, and Shizuka couldn't help but notice that Watanuki kept checking the clock, sometimes groaning and sighing with a frown on his face. Whatever the mission he had was he didn't seem to look forward to it.

Doumeki was wondering why _he _was also being asked to stay late. Did the mission have anything to do with him or something?

"Oh Watanuki~~~, Doumeki~~~" called the voice of Yuuko Ichihara from upstairs. "It's time for us to ta~~~lk!"

There was something dangerous in the woman's bubbly tone. Watanuki reacted by slumping over and lowering his head, mumbling to himself, while Syaoran and Sakura—through her serving window—glanced worriedly at the boy.

"Yeah, we're coming we're coming," the bespectacled boy sighed, waving his hand at Shizuka to follow him up the stairway.

Once he was up the twenty steps, Shizuka's eyes widened and it was all he could do to keep his jaw from hitting the floor. It was just a hallway, but the room he was standing in felt so… opulent.

Pulling open a sliding door that stood to their left, Watanuki glanced sourly at the archer and gestured for him to enter.

The room inside was just as lavish as the first, if not more, even though there was hardly any furniture, just the plush red couch that Yuuko Ichihara sat quietly in, smirking.

…Maybe it was just the warm paint, or the butterfly patterns on the walls and floor that looked as if they were ready to come alive…

Anyway.

There the stringy-haired woman lounged, clad again in an expensive kimono, an evil grin set on her face.

Between her finger and thumb was a simple black headband, adorned with… large black kitty ears.

"Ready for your extra payment, _Wa-ta-nu-ki_?" the woman smirked like a snake who had just caught its prey.

**There we are! Hope you liked it! And, what's Watanuki's extra job? You'll see in the next chapter (It's not prostitution, so get your dirty minds out of the gutter.)! And, sorry I left you at such a cliff hanger! **


	5. Chapter 5

**Coffee Chapter 5**

**Thanks to all my great reviewers! It always makes me so happy to find that you guys like my writing! :D**

**P.S. This one's fluffy. Enough said. Enjoy. :3**

**Disclaimer: As much as I hate it, I don't own xXxHOLiC. **

**CHAPTER START!**

It was dark outside. And cold. And Watanuki hated his life. And it was sort of creepy, how the wind blew that night. And Watanuki hated his life. Not to mention the fact that he was clad in (though thankfully with his school uniform) a pair of fluffy cat ears and a black cat tail. And Watanuki hated his life. And his enemy just _had _to come along with him with his stupid 'missions' as Yuuko called them.

Did Watanuki mention that he hated his life?

…'Cause he did. _A lot. _

"We should probably walk together," the biggest pain-in-the-ass to exist deadpanned, as usual.

Watanuki whipped around and turned to his hated rival, glaring daggers at the other who lagged behind Kimihiro's quick pace. "I shouldn't even have to be _taking _this mission with you, let alone _walking _with you!" The scrawny boy then stomped to their destination at an even quicker pace, the tail that swung between his legs making him feel strangely uncomfortable, tickling his thighs.

"Then why do you take these missions?" Doumeki asked in monotone. Kimihiro stopped in his tracks, and turning, glanced wistfully at the archer.

"Because I owe her something," Kimihiro whispered. "I'm in her debt."

Thankfully, the jerk knew when to keep his mouth shut, and the two finished their trek to the destination in silence.

"So it's here?" Doumeki asked, pointing to a squat one story house.

"Yeah," Kimihiro replied, putting his hand out. "Gimme my script, I want to go over it one more time."

"You know," Shizuka muttered, while handing the other boy a slim piece of paper, "I'm surprised you actually go along with these missions Yuuko gives you. Couldn't you just do something else, like being a waiter for free or something?" Kimihiro narrowed his eyes as he watched the other boy give the paper a distasteful look.

"I have things I need to pay for," the lanky, cat-eared boy spat, snatching the paper from the other. _Like rent, and groceries _he thought to himself, pouting. It wasn't like the other knew what it was like to live alone.

"There he is," the archer pointed.

And, there he _was._ The object of the entire mission, was peeping through the window of the house, and, from the view the two boys had, was _drooling. _

_Ew._ It's not like the boy had a choice, though, so Kimihiro whispered, "remember, do what Yuuko told us to do," and then stalked quietly over to the stalker himself.

"Hi," the lanky cat-boy waved, smiling, as the script he read told him to do. "Are you lost, sir?"

It was then that the stalker looked up. It was as if the creepy man was under a spell: his eyes were completely glued to the fake cat-ears, and his mouth was open, yet nothing came out. Did the guy realize he looked like an idiot? Especially with the pink shirt he had on—it depicted an anime cat-girl, making a peace sign. So _that's _what it was.

At least it explained the ridiculous getup Watanuki was wearing. Fighting back the urge to grimace and smack the stalker in the face, he asked, "Are you alright sir? You seem sick." _Keep to the script, keep to the script…_

"Oh," the rough voice of the creep sighed. "Yeah, um… Yeah, I'm alright."

"Alright then," Kimihiro smiled shyly, almost feeling bad for tricking the poor guy like he was… But, he was harassing innocent people, and boy, did he know what that felt like!

And, hey, guilt was gone. Walking away, Kimihiro glanced silently at the hidden archer, asking whether the stalker was following him with his eyes.

Doumeki nodded; Kimihiro rolled his shoulders and sighed, almost finished with his stupid mission.

…Bait. He was Yuuko's personal bait to lure all sorts of creep stalkers out of the woodwork—on one mission, the lanky boy had had to walk barefoot in public for _hours_ just because the stupid stalker had a _foot fetish!_

Ugh, it pissed him off. Why did _he _have to be bait for stalkers? And every one, every _single __one_ was male! Why did he have to deal with this hell? Did he commit some sort of sordid sin in a past life?

He glanced back at his creepy follower, and the archer behind _him_, and realized that that was probably the case.

He then realized that his new stalker was gaining on him. _Oh dear. _Kimihiro picked up his pace, whilst simultaneously attempting to look natural… it wasn't working. The man was soon only ten feet behind him, and the lanky cat-boy could _hear _him panting… they hadn't walked for more than one hundred yards.

Finally, Watanuki broke out into a run. The two pairs of footsteps behind him quickened, and, though the presence of the second person running in the pied piper line comforted him, he was still pretty freaked out about getting followed in the first place.

…But, why would Doumeki's presence comfort him? Wasn't that guy supposed to be his most hated rival—an even worse fate than being stalked by creepers? _Eh_, Watanuki shrugged to himself, panting from exhaustion, he could think about that later, when he wasn't _being followed. _

At least he was nearly at the destination point, only a block away… thank goodness he was good at running. That didn't stop his lungs from hurting, or his calves from being forced to endure that exhausting ache.

"Hey, wait…" the creep following close behind called, surprisingly close… too close, at the speed Kimihiro was running. "Please, let me just…" he wheezed, "your… ears…"

Kimihiro pushed himself, and ran even faster to his destination… _Only half a block away… almost… there…_

And then he felt himself being pulled back by his collar, losing precious breath, and honest-to-god _fear _ran through his veins. Where was Doumeki? "Caught you," the creep breathed, running his hand through his hair, making the lanky boy shiver in disgust.

Thankfully, Doumeki was on the scene, grabbed Kimihiro by the arm and carried him like one would a sack of potatoes, and zoomed to the meeting place.

Though Watanuki was thankful to the oaf for saving him from his predicament, he was still kind of pissed that he had to be carried over the lumbering giant's _shoulder_.

…At least he warm, he thought, gripping the archer's shirt. Wait, where did _that _come from?

"We're almost there," Doumeki muttered, in between pants.

"I can walk myself, you know," Watanuki pouted. He could then _feel _the smirk come from Doumeki, even though his face was pressed up against the other's shirt. "Don't smirk at me!" he lifted his arm and smacked the back of the archer's head.

"He's still following us," Doumeki remarked, stopping only for a moment to set the lanky boy down on his feet, before the two took off again.

"Well," Watanuki wheezed, still exhausted from his last run, "we're almost there—keep running!"

And soon, they could see the place they were dashing madly to: a small intersection loaded with police cars, police officers, and… Yuuko, holding a megaphone with her hand on her hip… Smirking. Ugh.

"Mister Honda, we have you surrounded!" Yuuko smiled, pointing the stalker in the cat shirt, who only gaped at the two boys.

Doumeki did his usual thing, of not reacting in any way, while Kimihiro half-smiled and waved awkwardly.

The guy was still gaping.

"This is Yuuko Ichihara, the head of the Japanese Harassment Control Division!*" Yuuko called, the noise blaring through her megaphone. "You, mister Masaaki Honda, are under arrest for the following:" And then the woman proceeded to rattle off a few wordy charges, such as harassment and breaking and entering.

The man was henceforth arrested and pushed into a police car, mumbling to himself about "fake cat-people."

And, thank goodness, the ordeal was over without a scratch. Thank goodness. And then Kimihiro glanced over at the bane of his existence, and, though he hated him, the archer deserved _some _sort of thanks for helping him when he was in trouble.

After watching all of the police cars leave the area, Kimihiro was startled as he noticed the retreating back of the archer that had… well, very well saved his life.

"Ah—" Kimihiro called after Shizuka, before he realized that _he _wasn't going to be the first to cave and thank the other.

So, he decided to thank him _without _thanking him.

Running up behind the archer, Kimihiro reached out towards the boy's left sleeve, and tugged lightly on the fabric.

The oaf didn't notice, the jerk.

Pulling again, harder, the archer finally turned around, while Kimihiro kept his grip firmly on the fabric of the sleeve, pouting, unhappy with his plan.

Kimihiro tugged again, and jutted his chin out in another direction, hoping that the fool would understand the sentiment… the way the jerk's eyes widened, and how his mouth hung agape, he was pretty sure the other did.

So, with a final tug on the black sleeve just for good measure, Kimihiro turned on his heel and was on his way home…

Until he felt a surprisingly warm hand grip his wrist.

"It's late," Doumeki stated plainly, "sleep over at my house."

**Phew! Finished! I hope you enjoyed it! And, though from the newest cliffy, you think you might understand what will happen next chapter, BUT! That is not the case… Sorry to leave my readers hanging! xD**

***Yeah, pullin' that one out of my bag of tricks. AKA, made it up. xD**


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